Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-12-24
sATURDAY......DE DECEMBER "a, 1887
The Peabody Fund.


SrUART, one OF the trustees Of the
Peabody Education Fund, for a copy of
pamphlet containing report OF their
proceedings at their twenty-sixth meet
ing held in New York ON the 9th of
October last Mr.. STUART continues to
serve his country despite his age, and
he serves it well.
In his address the chairman (iop.
RoBERT @. WINTHROP. another veteran)
said that as he contemplated the con-
dition OF our beloved country in these
opening weeks Of the second century Of
its constitutional existence he saw no
danger so threatening to our future pros
perity and welfare, and so likely to be
destructive Of the dignity and sacred
ness Of the elective franchise-the most
precious prerogative of freemen-as this
ever growing. embarrassing mass of
unschooled illiteracy and benighted ig-
norince. of which the appalling details
art becoming only too familiar to our
census. We quote Mr.. WINTHROP:
Free governments must stand or fall
with free schools. Republican inStitu-
tons ca1 rest safely on no other founda-
ton than education for all. The cause
OF education is thus at this moment II
not 1T every moment, the great cause OF
or country, and it should SO be regarded
by every patriot 1t is a national cause,
and no mere local or sectional concern.
Millions of uneducated voters are a
menace and a wrong, not only TO the
States in which they are found, but to
the whole Union. The rulers and peo-
pie of to day may control our condition
for to-day but the destinies of the
future are to be shaped and controlled,
under God, by our children and our
children's children. The security for a
second century OF prosperous coG>titu-
tional existence must be sought IN the
American cOmmon-school room, i can
be found nowhere else.
Coming from such MANA statesman
OF great experience and wide fame-these
words of warning should be needed 10y
Congress aud the President They mean
that the BLAIR bill ought TO become a
law as soon as possible. That measure
was strongly advocated blythe Hon. j.
l.. Nj. CURRY, the last general agent of
the Peabody fund. by the way, let us
say that we are glad to learn from Mr..
WErHRop's report that Dr. CURRY IS
likely to resume that Office and again
give to the country the benefit Of has SER
vices in the cause Of education. The
place has been kept open ever since DIR.
CURRY resigned it, Dr. GREEN, his noml-
nal successor, having consented TO take
it only pro tcDpore; and inasmuch as
at this meeting Of the Board of Trustees
authority was given to Mr. WINTHROP
the chairman, under the advice Of the
Executive Committee, to appoint gen
eral agent whenever he may think it best
to do so, we take it for granted that DIR.
CURRY viii be the man.
Hon. JoHS l.. BUCHANAN, Superin-
tendent Of Public Instruction in Vlr-
ginia, wrote last February to the trus-
tees a letter from which We extract the
following:
Virginia has been among the largest
beneficiaries of this donation. She has
received from the Peabody Education
Fund sum in all not less than S27GOO0
From this source has been derived all
the support of normal institutes con-
Quoted for the benefit of the public
school teachers of Virginia. From this
source is derived most helpful supple
ment to the funds which sustain the
State Female Normal School of Vir-
GINA. From this source is furnished
the generous aid by which fourteen stu.
dents of Virginia are enabled to attend
the great State Normal College at Nash
vile.
The appropriations now made from
this fund to Virginia, being applied to
the academic and professional training
of teachers, is exerting an influence
eyolutional in the highest and best sense
of the word. That influence no man
can measure.
Let us have the BLAIR bill enacted
into law as soon as possible. The de-
mand for il should be 50 strong az to In
huence Congress.